This invention relates, in general, to a taxilane for guiding aircraft to and from an aircraft parking position and, more particularly, to a convertible dual taxilane for guiding aircraft from an aircraft parking position to a taxiway and for guiding aircraft from the taxiway to the aircraft parking position.
In recent years, the development and growth of shuttle operations has placed a strain on both airside and terminal capacity of some of the airports at which these Shuttle operations operate. Much of the strain is due to the layout of the taxilanes within the airport. Taxilanes are the portion of the aircraft parking area used for access between taxiways and aircraft parking positions. The taxiways are the strips of road that connect the taxilanes to the runways and the aircraft parking positions are the locations in which the aircraft are parked when passengers are to leave and exit the plane. Taxilanes connect the taxiways to the aircraft parking positions. Typically, aircraft are required to travel in only one direction down a single taxilane. Therefore, aircraft can travel from the aircraft parking positions to the taxiways or from the taxiways to the aircraft parking positions, however, multiple aircraft cannot be simultaneously traveling from the aircraft parking positions to the taxiways and from the taxiways to the aircraft parking positions. Moreover, since single taxilanes are designed as a single lane, aircraft must follow each other in a single file line down the taxilane. While many single taxilanes are wide enough to allow two aircrafts to go down the taxilane side-by-side, the taxilanes are not designed for such operation, since single taxilanes have a width that is governed by the widest plane to travel down the taxilane.
The design of a single lane taxilane is disadvantageous in some airports since its severely limits the amount of aircraft that can enter and leave the taxilane. First, the taxilane limits all aircraft within the taxilane to traveling in the same direction. Therefore, if an aircraft needs to leave the aircraft parking position and enter the taxiway, other aircraft that wish to enter the taxilane must wait until the taxilane is clear of any aircraft before entering. Similarly, if an aircraft needs to enter the aircraft parking position and leave the taxiway, other aircraft that wish to leave the aircraft parking position and enter the taxiway must wait until the taxilane is clear of aircraft. Because of high congestion and traffic, in some airports, aircraft waiting to enter the taxilane are often taxied out to a different area of the airport until the taxilane is cleared. This increases the amount of time the passengers must stay on the aircraft and reduces the number of flights an airport can handle at one time. Additionally, aircraft waiting to leave taxilane must also wait until the taxilane is clear. This also increases the amount of time the passengers must stay on the aircraft and reduces the number of flights an airport can handle at one time.
Accordingly, further development of taxilanes for guiding aircraft to and from an aircraft parking position and methods for guiding aircraft from the taxiway to the aircraft parking position, is necessary in order to decrease congestion in the airport, decrease the amount of time the passengers must stay on the aircraft, and increase the number of flights an airport can handle at one time.
In view of the above limitations of existing taxilanes for guiding aircraft to and from an aircraft parking position, it is an aspect of the present invention to provide a convertible dual taxilane for guiding aircraft from an aircraft parking position to a taxiway and for guiding aircraft from the taxiway to the aircraft parking position. The taxilane includes a first boundary line opposed to a second boundary line, wherein the taxilane is located in between the first and second boundary lines. A centerline is located in the taxilane, wherein the centerline is generally centered between the first and second boundary lines. The taxilane also includes a first taxiline located in the taxilane, wherein the first taxiline is generally centered between the first boundary line and the centerline and a second taxiline is located in the taxilane, wherein the second taxiline is generally centered between the second boundary line and the centerline, wherein at least one aircraft can be guided down one of the centerline, the first taxiline, and the second taxiline.
Unlike other taxilanes, the convertible dual taxilane of this invention allows multiple aircraft to travel in multiple directions simultaneously. By having a first and second taxilines, some aircraft are able to travel from the aircraft parking position to the taxiway, while at the same time other aircraft are able to travel from the taxiway to the aircraft parking position, thus decreasing congestion in the airport, decreasing the amount of time the passengers must stay on the aircraft, and increasing the number of flights an airport can handle at one time.